What is the APM Reporting Track Under QPP?

3 minute read

By now, you are probably familiar with the Quality Payment Program (QPP), and most chiropractors know what they need to do to report in 2017. Chiropractors are likely to follow the Merit-Based Payment System (MIPS) track. However, there is one other big question everyone has on their minds:

“What is the other track Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering?”

APM Reporting

Alternative Payment Models (APMs), or Advanced Alternative Payment Models, is the other option for reporting to the Quality Payment Program (QPP). APMs provide higher incentives and the opportunity to elevate fee schedules in future years. APMs can apply to a specific clinical condition, a care episode, or a population.

While the goal of both tracks is to pay doctors for high-quality and cost-efficient care, participants of APMs assume a greater risk. These participants must adhere to a certain time frame and budget when caring for a particular patient, in some cases. This time frame and budget are usually shared by a healthcare team to supply coordinated care for your patient. The goal of coordinated care is to ensure that patients, especially the chronically ill, get the right care at the right time, while avoiding unnecessary duplication of services and preventing medical errors.

These healthcare teams are generally Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Some examples of these organizations are:

As a result, in order to participate in in this track, a chiropractor must be invited into one of these ACOs. Hence, providers of chiropractic care will likely follow the MIPS track due to low involvement in ACOs. For more helpful information regarding participation and the benefits of joining with participating ACOs for future reporting, visit the QPP website.